“What do you want? What do you really want?” presenter Jake Khym asked the crowd gathered in the Gentile Gallery Monday night.  

This question silenced the packed house after what had started as a rowdy icebreaker game of “Name that Song,” in which a Franciscan Friar unexpectedly led his team to victory.  

The introductory presentation, first of a four-part series, focused on the importance of relationships in the context of our human nature. The audience was comprised of mainly lay students, with nearly one-third consisting of men and women religious. 

Promoted by the Evangelization Office, the series explores four primary relationships: God, Self, Others and Creation. The first session, “Relationships: The Art of Love,” provided an overview of the importance of developing the skills needed to relate well to others.  

When asked beforehand why she chose to attend the talk, student Grace Betit said, “The title pulled in me. Everyone wants a relationship.”  

Following a clear structure for each presentation in the series, Khym divided his talk into four sections: Ideas, Jesus, Visio and Story. 

Khym began by stating, “It is my hope that you have a solid sense of how critical the four primary relationships are.” He pointed to the great saints of history, referring to them as holy men and women who were “professionals at relationships” and as those who had “PhDs in love.” 

Blending human and spiritual formation, Khym drew from his experience as a Catholic clinical psychologist to explore the psychological consequences of disordered love in relationships and the wounds that can result. He emphasized that inner transformation, healing and ultimately our conversion as disciples of Christ are necessary prerequisites for healthy and holy relationships. A slide from Khym’s presentation read, “We become, we are broken, and we are healed—in relationship.” 

Referring back to the spiritual foundation of our faith, Khym held up Christ as the “perfect human”—the solution and answer to our woundedness. Throughout the talk, Khym blended prayerful meditation with an invitation to introspection, keeping listeners engaged and personally invested.  

Khym described his new series as “interactive and real,” built around the idea that “formation is never just ideas.” He consistently emphasized the importance of practicing what is learned, which was demonstrated by periodic small-group discussions where participant practiced relating to one another. 

The evening ended with a social in the JC Williams Center, offering an opportunity to connect and build relationships. The remaining topics and presentation dates are: Self (Sept. 29), Others (Oct. 6), and Creation (Oct. 13).